Arrogant Pretensions - pretending to be much, much smarter than your adversary is a favorite tactic of cowards.

One of the many arrows in the oversize quiver of arrogant pretenders is name-calling.

Why think much less debate when all you have to do is call the person you despise, and probably fear, a vile name.

Sometimes Arrogant Pretenders invoke one of their magic science phrases, such as "the fallacy of the argument from authority." Ha! That should settle everything. For you fell for this grotesque fallacy, but the Arrogant Pretender did.... oh wait. Yes he did. The Arrogant Pretender led the way in the fallacy of the argument from authority by pretending to BE an authority.

Gee whiz. This fight-avoidance stuff is hard if the other guy thinks about what you say.

daftbeaker wrote:Eh? Have you been sniffing the toilet duck? Here's how it normally goes:

Person A: X is true.Person B: How do you know?Person A: Because Person C said so.Person B: That's an argument from authority.

What is wrong there?

Also, I call troll.

I should never have known what the Fallacy of the Argument From Authority waswithout your brilliant explanation.

To answer your question, "What is wrong here?", this is what.

1. I broached the subject of the Fallacy of the Argument From Authority, not you.Accordingly, I need no tutoring from you on that topic.

2. Almost everything we have learned has been learned from authority. This double-edged swordcuts far more mightily against its atheist promoters than they/you pretend. For example, haveyou personally ever been to The Great Wall of China? If not, how do you know it exists?"Because Person C said so," that's how.

3. You "call troll" because I have upset the delicate imbalance of hate-filled, condescending,arrogant, atheist rhetoric so prevalent wherever atheists congregate. Go into anyChristian church and announce that you are an atheist. Not ONE person - no not one - willcall you names, such as "pooface" or "stupid" or anything like you call the people you despiseso very much.

Atheists are really mentally ill. Having no god, they must worship something, and thisinevitably leads to self-worship, pathological narcissism. Atheists tell themselves that theyare all-wise, all-science, all-good, all-all. Any dissenter is simply a "troll."

daftbeaker wrote:Eh? Have you been sniffing the toilet duck? Here's how it normally goes:

Person A: X is true.Person B: How do you know?Person A: Because Person C said so.Person B: That's an argument from authority.

What is wrong there?

Also, I call troll.

I should never have known what the Fallacy of the Argument From Authority waswithout your brilliant explanation.

To answer your question, "What is wrong here?", this is what.

1. I broached the subject of the Fallacy of the Argument From Authority, not you.Accordingly, I need no tutoring from you on that topic.

You were complaining that people that point out the Argument from Authority are setting themselves up as an authority? From the statement that you need no tutoring on the topic, am I to assume you're an authority on it and exhibiting the same behaviour you claim to find offensive?

MarathonMan wrote:2. Almost everything we have learned has been learned from authority. This double-edged swordcuts far more mightily against its atheist promoters than they/you pretend. For example, haveyou personally ever been to The Great Wall of China? If not, how do you know it exists?"Because Person C said so," that's how.

Um, no. You seem to be confusing the Argument from Authority with looking at the evidence. There is a world of difference between some bloke saying "gays are evil" and me having reliable testimony from hundreds of independent witnesses, all of whom agree on what they saw, backed up with literally thousands of pictures, all of which agree.

MarathonMan wrote:3. You "call troll" because I have upset the delicate imbalance of hate-filled, condescending,arrogant, atheist rhetoric so prevalent wherever atheists congregate. Go into anyChristian church and announce that you are an atheist. Not ONE person - no not one - willcall you names, such as "pooface" or "stupid" or anything like you call the people you despiseso very much.

No, I call troll because of what you wrote in the next bit of this quote.

MarathonMan wrote:Atheists are really mentally ill. Having no god, they must worship something, and thisinevitably leads to self-worship, pathological narcissism. Atheists tell themselves that theyare all-wise, all-science, all-good, all-all. Any dissenter is simply a "troll."

Nice, you start with a blanket insult, followed by telling me what I believe (which is incorrect) and then paint your abusive nonsense as 'dissent'. Here's what it sounds like:

Theists are really mentally ill. Having a god, they must worship it, and thisinevitably leads to self-debasement, pathological masochism. Theists tell themselves that theyare all-wise, all-science, all-good, all-all. Any dissenter is simply a "troll."

MarathonMan wrote:1. I broached the subject of the Fallacy of the Argument From Authority, not you.Accordingly, I need no tutoring from you on that topic.

That would be the Fallacy of the Argument From Your Own Authority, pooface. Don't feel the need to reply to this: I raised the subject, therefore I need no tutoring from you.

MarathonMan wrote:2. Almost everything we have learned has been learned from authority. This double-edged sword cuts far more mightily against its atheist promoters than they/you pretend. For example, have you personally ever been to The Great Wall of China? If not, how do you know it exists? "Because Person C said so," that's how.

Person C can produce supporting evidence for the existence of the Great Wall of China. That evidence can be reviewed and commented on by Person C's peers. That's the system we use to review what we learn and what we teach. You should try applying it to your own beliefs and education. I suspect they would not fare well.

MarathonMan wrote:3. You "call troll" because I have upset the delicate imbalance of hate-filled, condescending,arrogant, atheist rhetoric so prevalent wherever atheists congregate. Go into any Christian church and announce that you are an atheist. Not ONE person - no not one - will call you names, such as "pooface" or "stupid" or anything like you call the people you despise so very much.

No, he called troll because you are unwilling or ill-equipped to properly discuss anything.

MarathonMan wrote:Atheists are really mentally ill. Having no god, they must worship something, and thisinevitably leads to self-worship, pathological narcissism. Atheists tell themselves that they are all-wise, all-science, all-good, all-all. Any dissenter is simply a "troll."

Now you are calling me names. Unfortunately, you chose the wrong person to take that up with. Atheism does not currently constitute a mental illness. Religious belief barely avoids classification as a delusion, a form of mental illness, in the current DSM IVR because it is generally culturally accepted. Here is some evidence to back up my argument.

If you cannot supply any supporting evidence for your claim that atheists are mentally ill, you should withdraw that claim. If you do not, we shall continue to call you a pooface. I will recognise evidence from the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV edition Revised (DSM IVR), the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), or any other peer-reviewed publication. I will not accept arguments from authority, or the ravings of Jerry Falwell, Fred Phelps, Christine O'Donnell, Fox News or Sarah Palin.

as soon as you see a battle-axed mainiac running towards you, quickly pick up a stick with one or two leaves on it, and hold it in front of your face. The assailant will think you're a rosebush and go away.

This ancient piece of common practice has, as have many, been corrupted by christianity for their doctrine. Where originally, people picked up a branched twig to pretend being a cactus, the church has deformed the twig into a cross, and corrupted it's meaning. Just remember that, whenever you see someone holding up a little model cross and claiming to "ward off evil", they're actually pretending to be a stingy plant.